Furman U campus   Jess Riddle
  Oct 20, 2003 05:31 PDT 

In the mid 1950's, Furman university moved to its present location on the
north side of Greenville, SC. The site, which had been farm fields, was
scraped bare then planted with a few species of fast-growing floodplain
oaks. Most of the trees have had part of their root areas covered with
impervious surfaces, but they are partially open grown and many receive
sprinkler watering and fertilizing. Consequently, six foot circumference
pin oaks and eight foot circumference willow oaks now shade much of the
campus. Water oaks tend to be both smaller in diameter and shorter than
the willow oaks. One conspicuous and largely open grown willow oak is now
12'8" cbh and 76.8'. Another willow oak with a little more competition
and less impervious surface to contend with is 11'9" cbh and 100.1' tall.
A handful of other willow oaks that have not been measured reach
comparable sizes. The largest of the pin oaks is 99.0' by 9'4" cbh.
Unfortunately the tree appears to be declining. I wonder how much longer
the other trees will maintain their current growth rates.


Jess Riddle
Re: Furman U campus   Joe Zorzin
  Oct 20, 2003 05:38 PDT 


Which is what modern naked apes have done to the planet, scaped it bare to recreate it in its own image. The planet is tough and probably will survive being paved over and inhabited by tens of billions of naked apes along with our pets and fleas and cockroaches and manicured lawns, but do any of us want to go into the future 100 years knowing how worse the planet will be? As the Earth continues to decline in its overall well being, we have a choice to make- just tolerate this decline while moaning about it, or FIGHT BACK.

(snipped)
*********
JZ
RE: Furman U campus   Willard Fell
  Oct 20, 2003 05:43 PDT 

Shows what an oak, even under less than desirable conditions, can do in
50 years. I still have trouble with 1200 year old live oaks (or white
oaks for that matter). My guess on the pin oak is that it is off site.
From what I recall it is a northern river bottom oak.